Listen "Episode 239: The Campaign of Miner Bo, with Todd Drezner "
Episode Synopsis
My guest is Todd Drezner. His newest film is The Campaign of Miner Bo (https://www.minerbofilm.com). It’s probably safe to say that Bo Copley never expected to run for U.S. Senate. A lifelong resident of Mingo County, West Virginia, Copley worked in the coal industry for 11 years until he was laid off on September 18, 2015.
In May of 2016, Copley was invited to join a roundtable discussion with Hillary Clinton, who was campaigning in West Virginia before the state’s presidential primary. Copley, his voice breaking, showed Clinton a picture of his three children and challenged her assertion that she was a friend to coal miners. Copley’s raw emotion broke through the usual campaign chatter, and throughout the campaign, he was a regular on cable news.
Copley tried to take advantage of his surprise political celebrity by running for the Republican nomination for U.S. Senate in 2018. But without money, experience, or a traditional campaign infrastructure, he quickly discovered that being a politician is harder than it looks.
The Campaign of Miner Bo documents that fight and shows how this most unlikely political campaign changed its most unlikely candidate. Special Guest: Todd Drezner.
In May of 2016, Copley was invited to join a roundtable discussion with Hillary Clinton, who was campaigning in West Virginia before the state’s presidential primary. Copley, his voice breaking, showed Clinton a picture of his three children and challenged her assertion that she was a friend to coal miners. Copley’s raw emotion broke through the usual campaign chatter, and throughout the campaign, he was a regular on cable news.
Copley tried to take advantage of his surprise political celebrity by running for the Republican nomination for U.S. Senate in 2018. But without money, experience, or a traditional campaign infrastructure, he quickly discovered that being a politician is harder than it looks.
The Campaign of Miner Bo documents that fight and shows how this most unlikely political campaign changed its most unlikely candidate. Special Guest: Todd Drezner.
More episodes of the podcast Give and Take
Episode 307: Hamilton vs. Jefferson: The Battle That Still Shapes America, with Jeffrey Rosen
13/10/2025
Episode 306: Nations Apart: How Clashing Regional Cultures Shattered America, with Colin Woodard
24/09/2025
Episode 304: Playback, with Carla Malden
16/09/2025
Episode 301: Morbidly Curious: A Scientist Explains Why We Can't Look Away, with Coltan Scrivner
07/09/2025
Episode 300: My Guest Is Scott Jones...
02/09/2025
ZARZA We are Zarza, the prestigious firm behind major projects in information technology.